Public meeting will be Oct. 22
DELCO – State transportation officials are inviting people to review a proposal to improve safety and traffic flow on U.S. 74/76 in eastern Columbus County.
The public meeting will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Oct. 22, at Delco Pentecostal Free Will Baptist Church at 238 Kaiser Road. The N.C. Department of Transportation will show proposed design maps at the meeting, answer questions and collect comments about the proposal.
The department proposes reconstructing several median openings along the four-lane highway between Byrdville Freeman Road and east of Money Hole Road. With the design, drivers on the side roads would turn right to enter the highway without the risk of crossing opposing lanes of traffic. Drivers then would enter a dedicated lane to safely make a U-turn, if they want to go in the opposite direction.
Details about the proposal can be found on this NCDOT page.
The design, known as a reduced conflict intersection, reduces by more than half the potential locations where a crash can occur compared to a conventional four-way intersection. The design has shown to reduce vehicle crashes by an average of 46 percent on corridors without traffic signals.
People who cannot attend the meeting may send comments and inquiries to Alex Henderson, a Division 6 project manager, by contacting him at 910-364-0603; P.O. Box 1150, Fayetteville, N.C. 28302; or by email at US74-76-ColumbusCounty@
The department will consider comments collected on the final design through 5 p.m. Nov. 5. The project is scheduled to start construction in the spring of 2021.
NCDOT will provide auxiliary aids and services under the Americans with Disabilities Act for disabled persons who wish to participate in this meeting. Anyone requiring special services should contact Lauren Putnam at lnputnam1@ncdot.gov or 919-707-6072 as early as possible, so that arrangements can be made.
People who do not speak English, or have a limited ability to read, speak or understand English, may receive interpretive services upon request prior to the meeting by calling 1-800-481-6494.
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